Lake Concord
by Tobi Katsura
Summary: Peaceful... Tranquil... Those are some of the words that one would use to describe a setting like this. Tranquility like this could make one sit down and think... It could make one doze off and dream... Or make-believe... Abilityshipping... SatoLila...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimers: 1) I do not own Pokemon. 2) I always state the disclaimer to avoid lawsuits. 3) Yes, I am old enough to be sent to jail.

* * *

LAKE CONCORD - CHAPTER 1

"Ok guys. Let's take five," Ash told his Pokemon. He knew that he worked his Pokemon to the bone that time.

Anyway, we find our hero and his Pokemon training together at Lake Concord, situated somewhere outside the boundaries of Twil Town. Ash and co are training for the Pokeathalon that will be held in a couple of days from now.

Squatting onto the grass, Ash rested his back against the bark of a tree. Feeling as exhausted as their trainer, Pikachu, Corphish, and Tauros followed suit. Tauros took his place on Ash's right. Taking care in keeping his horns from piercing his trainer's skin, Corphish leaned against Ash's left. Finally, Pikachu hopped onto Ash's lap and curled himself into a ball.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Ash took in the fresh forest air. He took in his surroundings. The lake was like a lucid gem. It sparkled under the light of the sun. The weather was neither too hot not too cold. The sky above had a balance of whites and blues. There was a breeze that brushed through his face and practically through everything else that it could touch. He heard the tree leaves rustle ever so softly as the light wind continuously blew against them. He could also hear the faint yet peaceful cries of the wild Pokemon that reside in the area.

Peaceful...

Tranquil...

Those were some of the words that one would use to describe a setting like this. At least, that was what came out of Ash's mind.

A setting like this. A setting like the one that our hero was in now. Tranquility like this could make one sit down and think...

It could make one doze off and dream...

Or make-believe...

* * *

Ash looked at his Pokemon. Pikachu, Corphish and Tauros have all dozed off. Who would blame them? Ash pushed them to the limit. You could even say that he portrayed a bit of Paul-ness back there. At least Ash had the heart to give his Pokemon a break every once in a while. They weren't _just Pokemon _to him. He saw them as friends.

Tauros...

Corphish...

Pikachu...

He looked at all three of his dozing Pokemon. Then, he looked at the lake in front of him.

Spending his time...

In this particular setting...

With these specific Pokemon...

It felt so familiar to him.

Very familiar...

A smile crept onto his face as he continued to gaze into the pool of water. He began to form two images into his mind. These were images of a couple who were playing in the water.

Splash.

"Ash! Stop splashing me!" A girl cried, although she knew that she was enjoying it.

"You started it!" Ash playfully cried.

"No I didn't! You did!" She playfully replied.

"No! You did!" Ash retorted as he splashed her again.

Suddenly, a tall, humanoid figure rose and stood behind the girl. It was glaring daggers at Ash. The girl herself had a somewhat mischievous look on her face. "Time to knock you off your feet, Ash Ketchum!"

_Alakazam, Focus Punch._

"Kazam-Ala!" Alakazam aimed his fist into the water. He wanted to create a powerful yet harmless shockwave of water that would splash Ash off his feet.

At least, he tried to do so... The Alakazam's Focus Punch created a pillar of water...

But as the saying goes, "What goes up must come down," and with that in mind, the pillar of water went down, splashing the girl and her Alakazam with water in the process. Seriously. Imagine it.

Ash couldn't help but laugh. You would laugh if you saw it, too. "Anabel, you were supposed to knock _me_ off my feet," Ash said, adding insult to injury.

"Oh, and you think you can do better?!" Anabel barked back.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I can!" Ash replied.

Anabel smirked. "Prove it."

"Don't mind if I do!" Ash cried. Next, he whispered his plan to his buddy who was floating right beside him. Pikachu nodded in affirmation.

"Chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." Anabel saw Pikachu jump into the air. He formed many wacky, zany, and cool poses as he flew into the air. When he reached the highest point that he could physically reach, Pikachu readied himself for an Iron Tail Attack. "PIKA!!" he cried as he went back down. Pikachu planned to use his Iron Tail to create a wall of water that would hopefully splash Anabel and her Alakazam off their feet.

Unfortunately, Pikachu aimed his Iron Tail right at Ash; thus, it was Ash who got knocked off his feet...

Ash emerged from the water, only to see Anabel and Alakazam laughing at him. "Ash, do you know what went wrong? I do. Do you want me to tell you?"

"Fine. Tell me what wrong, Anabel," Ash replied.

"Fine. I'll tell you. You weren't in synch with Pikachu, and that's why your plan _splashed_ you in the face," Anabel said, and to dish out more insult to injury, she added, "And that's also the reason why you lost to me back then."

"Hey! I got my revenge on you after that!" Ash retorted, referencing the rematch that he had with Anabel back then.

"But that only makes us even," Anabel said.

"Are you saying that you want to settle this right here and now?" Ash asked.

"Yes, I would like that," Anabel said, accepting Ash's challenge.

"Good." A mischievous smirk crept onto Ash's face.

Splash.

"Hey! No fair!" Anabel cried.

"Ya snooze, ya loose, Anabel!" a smug Ash cried.

"You're gonna regret it, Ash!" Anabel cried before sending out her Espeon.

Using his psychic powers, Espeon made a chunk of water levitate, separated the chunk into small pellets of water, and shot the pellets at Team Ash like shotgun bullets. Don't worry. Team Ash didn't get hurt. They only got wet.

Suddenly, Corphish came out, created a wave of water, and aimed it at Team Anabel, thus knocking Team Anabel into the water. Team Ash watched as Team Anabel rose back up from the water; however, they noticed that another figure appeared behind Team Anabel.

Anabel was smiling at them. To Ash, this wasn't good. _Metagross, Meteor Mash._

Anabel's Metagross rammed its powered-up leg into the water, thus creating what Alakazam tried to create earlier...

Ash, Pikachu, and Corphish stared at the looming wall of water before them. There was only one thing that they could do...

"RUN!!"

Anabel laughed as she watched Team Ash run away like little babies. Then, she noticed that Espeon was trying to get her attention. She saw Espeon's tail pointing in the direction behind her. She didn't need to read her Pokemon's feelings of fear and panic to understand what he was trying to say to her. _Metagross overdid it, didn't he?_ was the only thought that came into her mind.

Actually, Metagross didn't overdo it. Anabel was just in the way of the tidal wave's wrath, and feelings of fear and panic stopped Team Anabel from jumping away in time. Team Ash was as unfortunate as Team Anabel. Despite their head start, Team Ash also met their doom as the wall of water engulfed both teams in one, big splash.

The two teams washed up along the shore line. Anabel was the first to recover. Ash woke up beside her. Fearing for the safety of their Pokemon, the two trainers jolted up to look for them, only to find them lying on the ground behind them. Pikachu might have gotten water in its ears and Alakazam might have lost one of its spoons, but the two trainers' Pokemon were pretty much alright...

... Unless you count Tauros whose sleep was rudely interrupted by the two trainers' aquatic antics. Out of anger, Tauros charged at the two trainers and sent them flying back into the lake.

Ash was the first to emerge from the lake. Anabel appeared beside him. He looked at her, and she looked at him. After everything that had happened today, both of them knew that there was only one more thing that they could do...

Laugh...

* * *

When Ash finished laughing, he found himself right back where he had started from. He was back at Lake Concord. He was still lying against the same tree. His Pokemon were still sleeping in their proper places.

He looked back at the story which he wrote in his mind. A slice of life that had him play in the lake with Anabel and the Pokemon.

_We used to have so much fun..._ Ash thought as he remembered how he and Anabel used to play in Tohjo Lake back then.

_Hehe... We kept getting our clothes wet... I had to get a new set of clothes back at her cottage..._

And then, something befell our hero. He remembered the story that he pictured in his mind earlier.

He felt the urge to continue it.

* * *

A/N: (Author's Nook)

KnightSoul: Did you know that this story used to be called _Lake Lucid_? I changed it to _Lake Concord _because there was already a Lake Lucid in the anime.

I wanted to post the entire thing as a oneshot, but I realized how long it was, so I decided to divide it into three parts. I've finished all three parts. I'll post the next chapter tomorrow. I'm tired...

Anyway, read, review, and stay tuned for the next installment of Lake Concord!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimers: 1) I do not own Pokemon and Saiunkoku Monogatari. 2) I always state the disclaimer to avoid lawsuits. 3) Yes, I am old enough to be sent to jail.

* * *

LAKE CONCORD - CHAPTER 2

When Ash finished laughing, he found himself right back where he had started from. He was back at Lake Concord. He was still lying against the same tree. His Pokemon were still sleeping in their proper places.

He looked back at the story which he wrote in his mind. A slice of life that had him play in the lake with Anabel and the Pokemon.

_We used to have so much fun..._ Ash thought as he remembered how he and Anabel used to play in Tohjo Lake back then.

_Hehe... We kept getting our clothes wet... I had to get a new set of clothes back at her cottage..._

And then, something befell our hero. He remembered the story that he had pictured in his mind earlier.

He felt the urge to continue it.

_What if Anabel and I went back to her place to get cleaned up?_

Ash began to picture a room. It was Anabel's guest room. He wasn't sure if he got the dimensions and the wallpaper colors right. He wasn't even sure if her home had a guest room in the first place. He was human, after all. Like all humans, he couldn't form accurate images of things in his mind based on memory alone. Besides, he did ask, "What if?"

He pictured himself getting changed in the guest room. Anabel was getting changed in her own room. All of their Pokemon were playing outside. Ash and Anabel bothered to get their Pokemon dried up first before changing into fresh sets of clothes.

Being a dude, Ash didn't take long in getting dressed. After hanging his trunks out to dry, Ash stepped out of his room to check up on Anabel. Her home wasn't big, so it didn't take long for Ash to find her room.

As he walked towards the door, Ash remembered one particular fact about Anabel...

_I happen to be a girl._

He remembered the fact that Anabel was a girl. Being a boy, Ash knew that he shouldn't barge into a girl's room, especially if a girl was busy dressing up inside that room. Therefore, he did the polite thing...

Knock on the door. Duh.

But before his clenched fist could hit the carved, wooden door, the aforementioned door opened slightly, leaving a crack in the doorway and an opportunity for Ash to see what a girl's room looked like. Ash thought that he could fight the temptation; unfortunately, he realized that he was wrong when he accidentally took a peek through the crack in the doorway. Now, he couldn't get his eyes off it.

Anabel's room was a simple room. The room's wallpaper matched the wallpaper used for the entire house. A small desk with a mirror was placed on one side of the room. Sitting on top of the desk seemed to be a make-up set and a jewelry box, but Ash couldn't be sure since he had never seen Anabel in either make-up or jewelry. By the desk was a window adorned by a set of lilac-colored curtains that complemented the wallpaper. Finally, there was the bed that was made for one. It was a simple bed with a generic bed cover. What wasn't simple about the bed was its headboard. Judging by the wooden carving and the lilac-colored padding, that headboard was custom-made.

Then, Anabel appeared. Her whole body was wrapped in a towel. Ash guessed that her room had its own bathroom. Master bedrooms normally had their own bathrooms, didn't they?

There she was. Fresh from the shower, Anabel was wrapped in a damp towel.

And there was Ash. Fixating his gaze onto her, he scanned her body from tip to toe. The outfit that she would normally wear would cover almost everything under her neck, so Ash had to use the power of his imagination to picture her figure in his head.

_She's not fat, but she might still be hiding some flab underneath... Nah. She can't be flabby. Wait! Maybe she's a body builder who trains her body in secret! Nope. She doesn't act like the physical type. Hm... I'm pretty sure that she doesn't have those "good curves" yet, but what if she did have-?_

"Eek!"

_Uh-oh..._

Slam.

* * *

Ash shook the idea off his head.

_Ok. Bad idea._

After taking one, deep breath...

_Ok. What if I didn't see her wrapped in a towel?_

Then, before he went back to his story, Ash hastily added, _What if I saw her "after" she had gotten dressed?_

* * *

But before his clenched fist could hit the carved, wooden door, the aforementioned door opened slightly, leaving a crack in the doorway and an opportunity for Ash to see what a girl's room looked like.

Then, he saw Anabel. She had just finished fixing the last gold button on her lilac blouse. She hadn't noticed the crack in the doorway nor the Peeping Tom behind the door. To her, everything was normal. Nothing seemed out of place. As if nothing bad was going to happen to her in the next two minutes, Anabel walked up to the desk by the wall. She sat on the chair that she pulled out from under the desk.

Ash saw her take out a small box or container of some sort. He could tell that it was an old container because the intricate design on the box was fading and the golden paint was chipping off. Despite its old condition, the container still looked sturdy enough to hold items in it for more years to come.

After opening the lid, Anabel reached into the box and pulled out a pair of earrings. There was a pearl dangling in each one. The pearls had a purplish hue to them. Anabel took them and fastened each one of them onto each of her ears. Then, she modeled them in front of the mirror as if she was Kanto's Angel. She shook her head to see them sway along with her head. Ash had to stop himself from chuckling at this display. Seriously, he would never think that Anabel could be this... girly... If she was girly, then this was how he would imagine her to act like.

Anabel reached into her jewelry box again. This time, she pulled out a gold bracelet. A few gems adorned it. After slipping it onto her right wrist, Anabel gazed into the mirror again. She turned on the electric fan that stood beside the desk. Then, she began to act as if she was in a photo shoot for a magazine. She didn't say a word. Her poses did all the talking and they said, "Look at me! I'm fabulous!" Ash was now having a hard time stopping himself from laughing. If he had to watch one more display like this, then he would roll on the floor and laugh out loud.

Ash brought his attention back onto Anabel. He could see Anabel reach into her jewelry box for a third time. Suddenly, she stopped. Ash noticed the panicked look on her face as she franticly rummaged through her jewelry box. Then, Anabel sighed in relief. She calmed down as she pulled out a necklace from the box. She longingly gazed at the heart-shaped piece of gold that dangled on the golden lace. She pressed against the heart piece and it popped open, revealing a small picture of a girl and an older woman. Both of them had lilac-colored hair. One of them was most likely a younger version of Anabel. The older woman was probably-

"I'll see you again someday, Mommy..."

Anabel switched her gaze between the locket and another container that sat on the desk. She brought the second container closer to her and opened the lid. Tiny shelves popped up from the container. Anabel picked up a small stick that laid in one of the shelves. She pulled the cap off and twisted the stick until a red paste-like substance came out.

"You always told me to be whoever I want to be..."

She pressed the red stick against her lips.

"However, you also told me to never forget that I'm a woman..."

She began covering her lips with the red lipstick.

"That's why you gave me this..."

She pressed her lips together to make sure that every part of her lips was covered in blood red paint.

"Make-up... A woman's war paint..."

Next, she picked up a small brush.

"You watched over me, making sure that I knew what was right from what was wrong."

Then, she dabbed the brush onto a powdery, blue substance.

"I will never forget all that you have taught me, for you taught me out of love."

Then, she dabbed the powdery brush all over her eyelids.

"I'll always follow the path that _I_ choose to take and I'll always take pride in who I am..."

Finally, after placing the brush back onto its proper shelf, Anabel looked at herself in front of the mirror.

"I am a woman. I am the Salon Maiden. I am Anabel."

Ash knew that he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but what Anabel said earlier had touched him. He was proud of her and he knew that her mother would be proud of her, too.

Forgetting that the door wasn't locked, Ash absent-mindedly let his arm lean against the door. He ended up losing his balance, tumbling into Anabel's room, and blowing his cover. As he was getting up, he found Anabel already standing in front of him. He tried to make-up an excuse, but when he looked at Anabel's face, he felt all time stop...

* * *

A/N: (Author's Nook)

KnightSoul: Yes, the second mini-story. The part with the make-up actually references Saiunkoku Monogatari, where Lady Kocho gave Shurei Hong a make-up kit when Shurei became one of the Emperor's officials. Lady Kocho calls make-up a woman's war paint.

I'll post the final part of Lake Concord tomorrow...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimers: 1) I do not own Pokemon, Jigoku Shoujo, and Fate / Stay Night. 2) I always state the disclaimer to avoid lawsuits. 3) Yes, I am old enough to be sent to jail.

* * *

LAKE CONCORD - CHAPTER 3

Ash did his best to create a clear image of what Anabel would have looked like...

... As a normal girl wearing jewelry and make-up...

Trying very hard, he pictured many combinations in his mind. Some of those images were deformed. Other images enhanced her face to the point where he couldn't even recognize her. Finally, he settled for one. It wasn't perfect, but it was close. The image in his mind looked like Anabel, yet it looked like someone more...

Someone more than just plain Anabel...

While he tried to keep the image etched onto his mind, Ash noticed a little lilac flower that was swaying back and forth against the wind.

_She could sense the emotions of not just Pokemon but also nature as a whole._

He pictured himself in his mind again. He was taking a stroll along Tohjo Lake. Pikachu sat on his shoulder as usual. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted Anabel. She was kneeling close to a wild Spearow that perched himself onto the root of a tree. It was then that he recalled that Anabel had that _special ability_ of hers. In a sense, she could _talk_ to Pokemon just by sensing their emotions. Ash would love it if he could actually _talk_ to Pokemon, too. Sure, he could talk to his Pika-buddy, but what separated _his_ Pikachu from the rest of the Pokemon in the world was the bond that they shared together. He could sense Pikachu's feelings because of that bond. As for Anabel, she didn't need to have a _strong_ bond with a Pokemon in order to sense its feelings. A simple bond as acquaintances would probably suffice.

But then, she did say something about her being able to sense the emotions of nature or something along those lines. She probably has a bond with nature. Maybe she could talk to Pokemon because Pokemon were part of nature...

_Ok... Too many things to think about... Ugh... Getting a headache over here..._

"Hi, guys," Anabel greeted them. A wild Spearow was perched on her shoulder.

Pikachu waved at her while saying, "Pi Pikachu! (Hi Anabel!)"

Ash also greeted her back. "Hey."

"Ash, I came here because you looked like something was bothering you. Oh! I almost forgot! My Spearow friend over here is Jigokushoujo, but you can call her "Jigoku" for short. I met her just a few minutes ago. Say hi to Ash and Pikachu, Jigoku!"

Jigoku growled. "Spearow Spearow Spear Spearow... (The guy in the hat looks evil...)"

Anabel gasped. "Jigoku! Don't say that about Ash! He's the nicest guy I know! He would never hurt a Pokemon... well... except when he's in a Pokemon Battle, but that's beside the point."

Ash suddenly felt guilty. Anabel was standing up for him under the pretenses that he was some sort of saintly figure. For him, it didn't feel right. Even Pikachu started shaking in guilt. Suddenly, images of that fateful first day flooded into their minds.

Unfortunately for him, Anabel noticed the drastic change in their emotions. "Guys, is there something wrong?"

Ash and Pikachu were unresponsive.

"Guys, is there anything that you want to tell me?"

Ash and Pikachu threw themselves to the ground. "Ok! I admit it! On my first day as a trainer, I threw a rock at a Spearow! From then on, the Spearow Flock near my hometown has a vendetta with humans! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Anabel gasped at Ash's confession. Now that she knew about Ash's deep dark secret, what would Anabel do now?

Sadly, Ash never got to find out. "Spearow Spearow Spearow! (I'm taking you to Hell!)" cried Jigoku as she lunged right at Ash.

"Ah! I'm sorry! Ouch! I was just a rookie trainer back then! Ouch! Scream!"

* * *

Ash snapped back into reality. His recent outburst woke up his Pokemon. He assured them that he had a bad dream even though he was just using his imagination. Feeling reassured, Pikachu, Corphish, and Tauros went back to sleep.

_Ok! Forget the Spearow! What if she met a...?_

* * *

"Hi, guys," Anabel greeted them. A wild _Farfetch'd_ was perched on her shoulder.

"Pi Pikachu! (Hi Anabel!)"

Ash greeted her back. "Hey."

"Ash, I came here because you looked like something was bothering you. Oh! I almost forgot! My Farfetch'd friend over here is Shirou, but he likes to be called "Seibah" because of his _Saber-like weapon_. I met him just a few minutes ago. Say hi to Ash and Pikachu, Shirou!"

"Farfetch'd Farfetch'd Farfetch'd Farfetch'd! (Just call me Seibah because of my awesome seibah!)" the wild Farfetch'd cried as he waved his stalk in the air.

"It's nice to meet you, Shirou- I mean, Seibah."

"Pi, Pikachu! (Yo, Seibah!)" Pikachu, who was on Ash's shoulder, said as he held out a paw at Seibah.

Seibah held his stalk out at Pikachu. "Farfetch'd Farfetch'd (Take my sword.)"

"Don't be shy, Pikachu. Seibah thinks that extending his _saber_ out to people makes him feel cool," Anabel stated as a matter of fact.

Afraid to anger his newfound Farfetch'd friend, Pikachu took the end of Seibah's stalk and shook it.

Then, Seibah held his stalk out at Ash. The trainer reluctantly tried to take the stalk.

"C'mon, Ash. He's not going to slice and dice you into billions of pieces because you threw a rock at one of its brethren on your fateful first day as a trainer," Anabel said, "Of course, I know that you aren't that kind of person."

Ash giggled nervously. "Y-yeah..."

"P-pika... Ch-chu... (Th-that's... r-right...)"

Pikachu's apparent string of nervousness didn't go unnoticed; however, since it was Ash's imagination, Anabel considered that it was nothing and she brushed it off.

And so, Ash took the top end of Seibah's stalk and shook it just like what Pikachu did.

Seibah turned to Anabel. "Farfetch'd Farfetch'd Farfetch'd."

Anabel giggled. "I told you, didn't I?"

"Farfetch'd Far!"

"I know!"

The dumbfounded trainer boy just stood there and watched as the Maiden and the Farfetch'd started a riveting conversation which he had no way of understanding. On the other hand, Pikachu enjoyed listening to the girl and her newfound fowl friend, so he decided to join them.

"Farfetch'd Far! Farfetch'd Farfetch'd?"

"Pi!"

"Ok!"

"Farfetch'd Farfetch'd Far. Far Farfetch'd Far Far."

"Pika."

"Go on."

"Far Farfetch'd Far Farfetch'd. Farfetch'd Far Farfetch'd Farfetch'd Far. Far Far Farfetch'd?"

"Pika... chu... Pika... chu..."

"Hm... this is a tough one..."

"Farfetch'd?"

"Pika."

"Me, too."

"Farfetch'd. Far Farfetch'd Far: **Far Far Farfetch'd!**"

Pikachu began to roll on the floor and burst out in laughter while Anabel just giggled, although it was a bit louder than usual.

"Pikachu!"

"A Slugma! Why didn't I think of that?!"

A smile crept on Ash's face as he watched them. It didn't matter to him that he couldn't understand a word that they're saying. Both human and Pokemon were having fun. Ash thought that Anabel was one lucky girl.

"Pikapi! (Ash!)" cried Pikachu.

"Huh? What is it, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

Anabel answered for Pikachu. "Pikachu thought that there was something wrong with you. Did you not like Seibah's Koffing joke?"

"Um... I didn't catch it... I don't speak Farfetch'd."

"Far... Fetch'd..." a gloomy Seibah moaned.

Anabel tried her best to comfort her newfound fowl friend. "Look on the bright side, Seibah. At least we thought it was funny."

"Farfetch'd? Farfetch'd? (Really? Honest?)"

"Cross my heart, Seibah."

Suddenly, out of affection, Seibah pounced on Anabel and held her tightly in an affectionate hug.

Seibah began to cry a river of tears on Anabel's blouse. It was comical. "Farfetch'd! Far Farfetch'd, Farfetch'd! Farfetch'd! (Whaaaaaaa! You're so sweet, Anabel! Whaaaaaaa!)"

While Anabel was preoccupied with the little duck wrapped around her blouse, Ash got struck by inspiration.

Ash knelt down in front of Pikachu. "Hey, Pikachu."

The little mouse turned to face him. "Pika Pika, Pikapi? (What is it, Ash?)"

"Let's see if I can talk to you tele... tele... telepathically!"

Pikachu scratched his head. "Pikapi, Pikachu? (Ash, are you sure?)"

"Why not? Anabel can talk to her Pokemon telepathically in battle because of the strong bond that they have with her. Our bond is really strong, so I bet we can do it, too!"

After spending some time pondering, Pikachu nodded. After all, Ash did make a point.

"That's great! Ok! Let's try this!" Ash knelt down in front of Pikachu. Just like last time, he gave Pikachu a piercing stare.

_Pikachu, I want you to hit me with Thunderbolt._

This test of bonds went on for minutes.

_Thunderbolt._

_P-p-pika..._

_Thunderbolt._

_P-p-p-p-p-pika..._

_Pikachu, Thunderbolt._

_Pi... _The little yellow mouse couldn't take anymore. _... Ka..._ And just like the crab that came before it, Pikachu exhausted himself and fainted. _... Chu..._

Letting his head hang in disappointment, Ash sighed. "It looks like we still couldn't do it, buddy."

"Pika... (Sigh...)"

Ash felt a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry guys! I like you two just the way you are!"

"Farfetch'd! (Right!)"

Ash and Pikachu looked up and saw both Anabel and Seibah.

With Seibah perched on her head, Anabel knelt down in front of Ash. "It looks like you tried to talk to Pokemon the way I do, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Pikachu and I share a strong bond. I thought it would be awesome if we could communicate with each other the way you do with your own Pokemon," Ash told her.

Anabel smiled at him. "Silly Ash. It doesn't matter if you could mentally talk to your Pokemon or not."

"Yeah, I know. It doesn't matter as long as Pikachu and I have our tight bond," Ash sighed, "However, it would have been cool if I could sense Pikachu's feelings, especially while we're in the middle of a battle."

He looked at Pikachu, who was sitting beside him. Pikachu returned his gaze. _Yeah... If only..._

Suddenly, Anabel placed Seibah on the ground. After standing up from her spot, she extended her arm towards Ash. "I guess you can't read a Pokemon's feelings after all, Ash."

"Yeah, I guess so," Ash replied as he took her hand and stood up from his spot.

"But..."

"But what?" Ash asked.

Anabel just shook her head as if she just shrugged off an idea. "... Never mind..."

Ash quickly took both of her hands. "No, Anabel. Please tell me."

Anabel could tell that Ash eagerly wanted to know what was on her mind, so she took a moment to think whether she should tell him or not. Ash looked at her with an expression of eager patience on his face. Could she be able to help him talk to Pokemon?

Ash finally got his answer. "Maybe..."

Still clutching her hands, Ash eagerly asked, "Maybe what?!"

Anabel continued, but with a question, "Ash, do you still remember when I asked you to read what was inside my heart?"

A confused Ash asked, "Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know... I was just wondering if we could try that experiment again. Maybe you could sense a human's feelings now." Anabel sounded rather hopeful in her last remark.

"I guess a do-over wouldn't hurt. It's worth a shot," Ash replied.

Letting go of their grasp on each other, Ash and Anabel readied themselves for the do-over of their past experiment. While Anabel tried to calm herself, Ash wondered if he would do better this time around. He wasn't too sure if he could look deeply into a human's heart and read the feelings within. Well, there was only one way to find out...

"Are you ready, Ash?" Anabel asked.

"Ready," Ash replied.

"Ok, Ash. Let's see if you could sense what's in _my_ heart."

And so, it began. Ash stared deeply into Anabel's eyes. In his mind, he thought that her eyes were the doorway to her heart. Maybe by staring at them long enough, he could actually find out what was hiding within Anabel's heart.

_Anabel... I can... I can sense..._

Maybe Anabel was right.

_You're feeling... You're feeling..._

Maybe he can read a human's heart...

_Anabel... I... I can't..._

But then, she could be wrong...

_I'm sorry... I still can't- Wha?!_

* * *

Ash snapped back into reality. He was now back at Lake Concord. Everything was right where it was supposed to be. Corphish was to his left, Tauros was to his right, and Pikachu was on his lap.

He pressed his fingers against his lips. He felt his heart and it was racing.

He gazed at the lake in front of him. It amazed him that all this tranquility could make him remember her, of all people.

Her voice. Her face. Her cute smile.

He went back and watched the last scene play in his head. Every time he played it, he would view if from a different angle. From above and from below. From the left and from the right. Through his eyes and through her eyes.

And every time he played it in his mind, he knew that he didn't just see it.

He could also feel it.

He could feel how she placed her hands on his shoulders...

How she leaned closer to him...

How her lips touched his...

But he knew that it wasn't real...

... That _she_ wasn't real...

... That it was all just a fabrication created in his mind...

... Or in his heart...

Was it?

...

Ash realized that he spent too much time. It's time to get back to business.

"Ok, guys! Time to get- Oh..." Corphish, Tauros, and Pikachu were still fast asleep. He could wake them up if he wanted to, but after all the training that they've done, he figured that they deserved a few more _hours_ of rest...

After all, a setting as peaceful as Lake Concord could make one doze off, and, as a matter of fact, Ash felt a bit drowsy.

All four of them had been training for two days straight, and they still had time to train tomorrow.

So, he rested his head against the tree and slowly closed his eyes. Before he completely dozed off, he asked himself...

_What if it happened for real?_

* * *

A/N: (Author's Nook)

KnightSoul: And so, I present to you the final chapter of Lake Concord. It took me three months to finish the entire thing. Yes, I know that I posted this a few hours late. I had... technical difficulties... At least the whole thing is complete!

Ok... References:

1) Jigoku Shoujo (The Girl From Hell) - Yeah, it's kinda random. I thought it fit... Kinda... I just wanted to add a little humor and a lot of interactions with Pokemon. This is supposed to be a **_Pokemon_** fan fiction, after all.

2) Fate / Stay Night - Again, also random. If you watched the Battle Tower Eps, you'll notice that there are Farfetch'd residing there. That's why I used Farfetch'd in the first place. It's widely known that Farfetch'd always carry around a leek with them. It's like their sword or saber.

Then, I thought of Saber from Fate / Stay Night. In the anime, Shirou is a Master in the Holy Grail War while Saber is his Servant. I named Farfetch'd _Shirou_ to reference both the anime and Farfetch'd's nickname, Seibah. If you listen to the original audio version of Fate / Stay Night, you'll notice how the Japanese pronounce the Servants' names:

Saber - Seibah

Archer - Ahchah

Berserker - Basakah

Ok, so the references end here.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this this little piece of Abilityshipping.


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